"And Kanik?" she asked.

I smiled, aware she'd not only picked his space out on her own, but also that she seemed very interested in his work. "He makes a lesson to teach his students. He gives them assignments. When school is back in session, he'll sit there and grade papers. Well, not there exactly, since we're going to move the desks."

"Really? Why?"

Leaning back against the wall, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Ayla, do you see the window over there?"

"Yes."

"Go look out it."

Her steps were light as she made her way around the mess. Guiding back the sheer fabric that counted as a curtain, she bent to peer through the bottom pane. Almost immediately, she sucked in a breath and jerked back.

"We're high!"

"It's the second floor," I agreed.

Then she looked again. I wasn't about to tell her the position exposed her rump. My eyes may have dropped down that far, but mostly I just wanted to see what she thought of the view. Would it scare her? Would she like it?

"Lorsa is so big!" she breathed in awe.

"And that's still only part of it," I assured her. "Behind that mountain on the right is more. What you're looking at is the south side of town and the market. Maybe the business area? I can't remember if you can see that from here."

"And the houses get so small!" she gasped, turning to look back at me. "It's like they're little toys."

"So do you like the second floor?" I asked. "Or is it too much?"

"I could look at this forever!" she said. "All the people down there, and they're just doing their daily things. It's like being a part of it all without needing to know how."

"But do you like it?" I pressed. "Or do you prefer the room on the first floor you're in now? Not the furniture, Ayla, but the room."

Her eyes widened, darting back and forth as she scanned my face. "Did I do something wrong, Zasen?"

"No, Ayla, you have done many things right. It's just that I don't want to keep sleeping on the couch. The three of us have been talking, and we think you need a space of your own. A room. That means I can either move my things up here so the men are all on the second floor and you'll still be close to the bathroom, or you can move up here after we clean it up."

"Next to men?" she asked.

"To Dragons, there's nothing wrong with being next to men," I assured her. "They will not touch you in ways that are too personal. They will only touch you as friends, and only when you're okay with it."

She swallowed, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I don't know the right answer."

"Ayla, the truth is the right answer. I asked you because I want to know your opinion, not because I'm expecting you to read my mind."

"But would it be improper?" she asked. "If the men are on the second floor, then the room I'm in now would be like the woman's hall."

"And we are not Moles," I reminded her. "We do not lock you in a hall for women. We do not expect you to keep yourself alone."

Slowly, she looked back up. "I like the window up here."

"Okay, then we'll clean this area up and get you some things. A bed, to start." I moved over to the worn-out chair and sank into it. "And if you sit at Kanik's desk, you'll see a calendar on it. That has all the months."

She moved to the chair and eased herself down, staring at the grid before her. "This looks strange."

"It's our year," I told her. "Each box is a month. Each line is a week. The last line is our holiday week."

"So this is New Year's Day," she said stabbing the first day of the first month. "Zasen, I'm going to need to write it all out. I'll get confused otherwise."

"In the drawer to your right is a pad of paper," I told her. "All those long things laying across the desk are pens."

"Pens?"

"Pens."

Her brow furrowed. "But how does that work?"

I chuckled. "I honestly have no idea, but try one."

Opening the drawer, Ayla found the paper, then uncapped the first pen her hand landed on. Timidly, she made a small line in the corner - then sucked in a breath. A smile grew on her face and she made another, then a small shape.

"The ink just keeps going!" she exclaimed, looking over at me with nothing but wonder on her face. "That's amazing!"

"They run out eventually," I admitted, "but it's a very long time. Months."

"And I can use all of this?" she asked. "Kanik won't mind?"

"Not the leather book," I said. "That's his work. He won't care if you look, but he'll get confused if you write in it. Otherwise, yes. Ayla, you can come up here anytime you need, and you don't have to ask permission. If the guys want to be private, they will close their doors."

"Yeah?" she asked. "So maybe it'll be okay if I look out the window again?"

"As often as you want," I promised. "But if you can help us figure out when the Moles are coming back..."

"It's going to be a bit," she told me. "The next holiday isn't until the end of August, but I have to work out the days to know how long that is in your time."

"Sooner is better than later," I pointed out. "And the sooner we can stop the Moles, the sooner we might be able to figure out how to help your friends."

Her hand stilled and the girl froze before me. She didn't even lift her eyes. "Meri and Callah?" she finally asked. "And they could stay here with me?"

"Not here," I said gently.

"But we wouldn't be a problem," she assured me. "I could teach them Vestrian so Kanik doesn't have to, and we know how to cook and clean and care for clothes. We'd wash and make sure none of you ever had to do anything!"

"Ayla..."

"We could even get married if you want. I mean, if that's what it takes to help them. I've been trying to figure out how, but I can't do it on my own, Zasen. I have to learn how to be a Dragon first, and then I have to stop the men! I have to make it so they can't hurt people here, and then I can bring my friends here and keep them safe like I did with Tamin!"

"Ayla," I said, stronger this time. "We don't have enough room here, and none of us want to get married. That doesn't mean we won't take care of them. No different than how we took care of you, okay? My mother speaks English, and Jeera, and even Brielle. We will find a place for them to stay, but we have to stop the Moles first."

"I'll figure it out," she swore. "I'll work out the whole calendar and then mark the holidays on your time. I'll tell you everything if you'll help me!"